mottle

American  

[mot-l] / ˈmɒt l /

verb (used with object)

mottled, mottling

1. to mark or diversify with spots or blotches of a different color or shade.

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noun

1. a diversifying spot or blotch of color.

2. mottled coloring or pattern.

mottle British  

/ ˈmɒtəl /

verb

1. (tr) to colour with streaks or blotches of different shades

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noun

1. a mottled appearance, as of the surface of marble

2. one streak or blotch of colour in a mottled surface

Other Word Forms

• mottlement
  noun
• mottler
  noun

Etymology

Origin of mottle

First recorded in 1670–80; probably back formation from motley

Explanation

To mottle is to speckle or dapple with dots. An artist might mottle a canvas by dripping splotches of paint on it. You can also use mottle as a noun, for a patchy arrangement of color or light: "The dog's fur was a mottle of brown and black." The adjective mottled is more common than mottle for describing things marked with spots or blotches, and both words come from motley, which today means "mismatched" but was originally defined as "multicolored."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mottle mottled mottling

On Jan. 2, nurses reported that the patient’s breathing was shallower, with her toes beginning to mottle as her heart stopped pumping blood that far down.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 3, 2023

Then there was the salt: sprinkled generously enough to mottle the fry’s golden skin and amplify the earthy flavors trapped inside.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 7, 2022

The online class from 12:30-2:15 p.m. will cover identification of blossom brown rot, bacterial canker, cherry mottle leaf, shothole, cherry bark tortrix and tent caterpillar.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2021

We meet patients sodden with uncontrollable mood swings, watch their faces mottle with determination as they fight to recall the three words—blue, monkey, table—we asked them to remember just minutes ago.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 30, 2020

Let God make His sunsets: I will mottle my little fading cloud.

From Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood by George MacDonald

He cuts one open to show me the inside, mottled brown and floury.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Soon enough, trees everywhere were showing blotchy, mottled, yellowed leaves and suffering from twig dieback and sparse foliage.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026

Bartram's bass display a light golden color with dark brown blotches along their sides, a mottled belly, and fins with a rosy tint.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 23, 2026

The entire upper half of the canvas is an abstraction of mottled brushstrokes ranging from charcoal gray to a deep velvety black that surrounds the head like a heavy halo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

Scars covered his arm halfway to the elbow, and the mottled pink flesh still felt tight and tender, but it was healing.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

The piece titled “J2#1” involves an all-black oblong, about head-high, whose subtle mottling make it a dark counterpart to the all-white paintings of Robert Ryman.

From New York Times ● Jul. 5, 2023

Mr Johnson said there was no corresponding doctor's note for this examination of "mottling".

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2023

On the morning of Jan. 3, the patient showed more signs of mottling and had instances of apnea where she stopped breathing.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 3, 2023

We’ve had one batch of red beans and rice that did, unfortunately, leave the bottom with some permanent, faint mottling, but overall, after six months of vigorous testing, it’s held up excellently.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2020

There was no dark mottling or crater chains in the position of most of his canals.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan